Gardening

Hi all

Hope I have this right,and will try a report of my farm visit June 19th-20th.When I arrived at about 2pm sat., John Marlenga was there positioning a dumpster to hold the shingles that he will remove from the house and sheds. He said the materials will cost $3000. I will send him a check this week sometime. He helped me carry a small freezer downstairs. My friend Jane gave it to me. It is a bit smaller than I would chose, but it is free, and pretty knew.

The garden looks good. After I mowed both lawns, I work out there for a few hours. The "bun buns" have not been around as far as I can tell. I replanted a few flower seeds in places where the zinnias and Mexican Sunflowers didn't come up. I also planted another serving of dill, as we will have cukes for all of Price county if they produce. All that I planted have grown. also planted some parsley.

A few spears of asparagus have come up, and the pumpkins in the plot of ground that Norb plowed, are doing well. I went through there with the rototiller after I had done the garden. I threw out some of the big clods as I went. It is real nice dirt. Good thinking Mariann.

I saw a spotted fawn at the new place, so tried not to make to much of a stir over there. Also saw a turkey with a bunch of little turkeys on J. I can't remember just where I was when I saw them.

Hope this posts.

Love, Barb

Connected to the earth and our farm

From May 19 - May 28, 2010, six of us visited our Czech cousins in Prague and south Bohemia. Today, when I worked out, I listened to Writers Almanac, March 15, 2010. Garrison Keillor read a poem, 'Fields,' that reminded me of our farm and our visit to where Grandma and Grandpa Vlach came from.

Grandpa Vlach's birthplace - Kunicek, Bohemia. Old building in the background was there before Grandpa left the farm.

Grandma Vlach's birthplace, Prestineca, Bohemia

When Garrison Keillor read

these lines from a poem,

"Fields' by Faith Shearin, he

touched on experiences that I

have when I'm at our farm.

"I have taken root in my grandfather's
fields:

I may walk streets

of this century and make my living in an office
but my blood is old farming blood and my true

self is underground like a potato. At the opera
I will think of rainfall and vines. In my dreams
all my corn may grow short but the ears will be
full...

"I have taken root in my grandfather's

fields:....

June 8-10

To avoid having to spend two days mowing the lawn again, I made a trip up to take care of the lawn and do a couple of other projects. It has been raining and the temperature has been warm so most of the garden is up. The potatoes are still waiting to peak out. We may have a problem with the recently planted asparagus as the rain washed the soil over the plants. Time will tell.

It appears we have a lack of rabbits this year which is a good thing. As I drove in the driveway on Tuesday night there was a large owl sitting by the yard light pole. He may have something to do the eliminating the herd. The Sandhill Cranes are also back but there seems to be a lack of deer, another good thing for gardening. As I was mowing the lawn I almost ran over a fawn that was laying at the NE corner of the barn. Unfortunately it was dead, probably still born as it was really small. Other sightings, a blue bird, an eagle sitting on the field down the road eating something (I assume it was little birds or eggs as some birds were dive bombing it which had little effect on scaring it away) and a large pine snake crawling under the grainery. It's probably the same one Norb came face to face with when looking in the attic of the chicken house.

Work Weekend

Mariann and Lou, Barb, Norb and Marilyn and I made the trip to the farm for Memorial Day weekend. When we arrived late Friday evening, Barb had the deck mower on the tractor and was cutting the lawn that was knee deep. I took two days, three mowings and a lot of raking to get it to look like a lawn. The same can be said of the Maris residence down the road. In addition to the lawn we also got the garden and potatoes in, did a lot of weeding, weed whipping and general maintenance on the equipment.

Peter and Sylvia Scholarship presented June 2, 2010

On Wednesday evening, June 2, I presented two $1,000 scholarships at Phillips High School. Rebecca Senn and Evan Jasurda received the Peter and Sylvia Tennessen Scholarships. As you know, in our home, the conversation was never IF you go to college. The conversation was WHEN you go to college.

Sylvia Vlach graduated from a one room country school, Martin's Mill. She wanted to go to high school and did not. Because there was no transportation from County J to Phillips High School (no yellow school buses), any rural individual who wanted to go to high school had to rent an apartment in Phillips. Mom did not do that.

Before I named the scholarship recipients at the June 2 awards event, I told that story.